Monday, July 17, 2017

Is PRP Effective for Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen
shoulder is a condition that makes the shoulder joint stiff and painful. It may
be caused by injury or immobility, particularly if you’re unable to move your
arm for a long time, such as after a fracture, surgery, or while recovering
from a stroke. You also have a greater
risk
of developing the condition if you have diabetes, with as many as one in five
diabetes patients experiencing frozen shoulder at some point in their lives.

The
condition develops when the capsule (connective tissue) in the shoulder joint
to become tight and thick. This can make it difficult to move the shoulder and
can be very painful, especially at night. At first, the symptoms may seem minor
or barely noticeable, but they typically intensify over time. While frozen
shoulder generally resolves itself within one to three years, the condition
often requires medical treatment and/or physical therapy.

One
treatment that has prozen effective for many patients living with frozen
shoulder is called Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP. In this post, we’ll take a
closer look at what PRP treatment involves, and explore how it can help
patients with frozen shoulder.

What is PRP?

PRP
is a form of therapy used to rejuvenate the cells and encourage the body to
heal itself. During the procedure, the therapist draws blood from the patient
and puts it through a centrifuge in order to obtain Platelet Rich Plasma. This
is a component of blood and contains a wealth of natural growth factors. When
injected into the site of injury, it can stimulate the healing of damaged
cells.

The
therapist will usually repeat the procedure at intervals for a certain length
of time to maximise the effects. They may also instruct the patient to perform
certain stretching exercises after each treatment to improve flexibility in the
joint.

Combatting the effects
of frozen shoulder with PRP

A
study published in 2016
showed that PRP is one of the most effective forms of treatment for frozen
shoulder.

While
many treatments for frozen shoulder have side effects, PRP has a low risk of
adverse reactions. This is because the treatment uses blood extracted from the
patient’s own body. As a form of therapy for frozen shoulder, it can reduce
pain, restore limb function, and improve the shoulder’s range of motion more
effectively than most other forms of treatment.

At
Stem Cell Therapy, we use PRP to treat frozen shoulder and similar conditions.
Our minimally-invasive methods employ the body’s natural healing processes to
bring about restoration and rejuvenation. Get in touch today to find out if
PRP can be effective for you.